8 May, 1907.] Cheddar CJiecse in Great Britain. 287 



It must be varied from time to time. While one-half mio-ht do at one 

 season of the year, one-fourth or even one-eighth per cent, will be suffi- 

 cient at another. The personal enuation is the most important factor in 

 cheesemaking. Cleaai milk manipulated bv an expert maker will give 

 first-class results whatever the source of the starter employed, provided 

 onlv the starter is pure. 



?\Ianv of the best makers add a few drops of starter in the evening, 

 the amount varying according to atmospheric conditions. Bv thus doing 

 a slower ripening occurs; this it is alleged gives a finer cheese than when 

 a large quantitv of starter is added at a time and the ripening of the milk 

 unnecessarilv hastened. One particularly great advantage is that the intro- 

 duction of a few drops of starter in the evening aids in the development 

 of lactic bacteria, and thus the multiplication of obnoxious kinds is re- 

 tarded. A great benefit claimed is that gassy cheese is seldom known. 

 It is unnecessarv to state that the greatest care must be exercised in prac- 

 tising such m.ethods. Just to give an idea of how little is added, I may 

 mention that Ish. McAdam who had 230 gallons of milk per day put 

 in I J drachms in the evening (the milk being cooled to 76 degrees Fahr.) 

 and 6 ozs. in the morning two hours before rennet was added. There is 

 no doubt that an excessive amount of starter is dangerous, and in our warm 

 climate it must be used in moderation. It is evident that the more starter 

 added the quicker the ripening, and the earlier deterioration occurs, and 

 vice versa, even though the aciditv at renneting be the same as when little 

 starter is added. In other words, the quicker the ripening of the milk 

 before renneting, the sooner the cheese will ripen and vice versa. 



One good maker informed me that he did not use the pure culture 

 starter, his method being to keep back as much milk as he thought suffi- 

 cient a.s soon as the milk Avas readv toi rennet. By next morning this would 

 be thick. I tasted this starter and it was good. This of course is right 

 enough when the milk is good. Evidentlv the maker in question finds it 

 so, as he has gained manv prizes at the leading shows throughout Grear 

 Britain. Still it will probablv be the safest wav tO' stick to the pure 

 culture starter. 



In addition to the experiments just mentioned, some were made to 

 ascertain the best quantitv of rennet to use. Several cheeses were made at 

 the Kilmarnock Dairy School. 



(A) 2 J ozs. rennet added to each loo gallons of milk. 

 {B) 5 ozs. rennet added to each jog gallons of milk. 

 (C) 7 ozs. rennet added to each 100 gallons of milk. 



The judges who had tested these cheeses along with^the former experi- 

 mental lots gave an a.vera.Q-e of 95 points to the cheese getting the small 

 amount of rennet. After an interval of a few months, however, the cheese 

 that received 5 ozs. per 100 gallons received the highest marks. It is 

 generally thought that 4 ozs. is about right. 



{To be coiitiiuicd .) 



